USADA announced today that Darcie Warren, of Pleasant Grove, Utah, an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, has received an eight-year sanction for her second anti-doping rule violation after her refusal to provide a urine sample.

Warren, 40, refused to provide a sample as requested by a USADA doping control officer during an out-of-competition test on May 10, 2019. Evading sample collection, or refusing or failing to submit to sample collection, without compelling justification, is an anti-doping rule violation under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Anti-Doping Policy, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and the WADA Prohibited List.

Warren’s 8-year period of ineligibility began on July 11, 2019, the date her sanction was imposed. In addition, Warren has been disqualified from competitive results obtained on and subsequent to May 10, 2019, the date she refused to submit a sample, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements <https://www.Supplement411.org>, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.

If athletes choose to use supplements despite the known risks, USADA has always recommended that athletes use only dietary supplements that have been certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport. USADA currently recognizes NSF Certified for Sport as the program best suited for athletes to reduce the risk from supplements.